Focally is a four-year-old Indian brand that is making AR glasses, smart glasses, and other smart eyewear. The company contacted me to review their latest product – the Spectrum. While I didn’t agree with the review with big expectations from the product, it was definitely interesting to see an Indian brand working on a smart glass. The interesting thing is that their price is only Rs 5,499. I had to try these. I said yes. And 2 weeks ago, the Focali Spectacles were shipped to me, and I’ve been using them as my primary glasses ever since.

Spectacles are essentially smart glasses that use Bluetooth for connectivity, so you can connect your glasses to your phone, laptop, or any other Bluetooth device. Smart glasses also include a variety of swappable frames. I’ve been using the Titanium Charm Spectunes for 2 weeks now and I love how it has replaced both my boring specs and earbuds. However, the question here is: is it worth your money, or is it just a fluke? I will answer that in this review.

Focally Spectunes: Things I Like

Focally Spectunes Smart Glasses are a great way to replace your everyday glasses. For this product, the company has paid a lot of attention to both the design and its technical part.

The Spectunes come in both acetate and titanium frames, though the latter costs Rs 1,000 extra. I’m using the Titanium Charm frames and they are stylish. Interestingly, without any adjustments, the Spectuns were a perfect fit for me. However, at first, I felt the sides of the glasses looked a bit wide and heavy (not as heavy as the famous Karan Johar glasses), but just a few hours of use was enough to get used to it. When I started using the device, I realized that, if you consider that the Spectunes have both a chipset and an in-built woofer on the stem, it is actually quite light. It’s probably even lighter than many of your regular eyeglass frames.

Unlike a normal pair of glasses, the frame and arms of Spectacles come apart from the box. The situation here is somewhat like DIY. But assembly is quite simple, thanks to its magnetic hinge, which also helps in easily changing the frame. If you already have spectacles and want to change the style of your glasses, you can also purchase loan frames. The price of these frames starts from Rs 799.

On the Focally website, you can also choose to get powered-lenses for the device. The only difference in service here is that they do not have any service for eye examination. If you want to get prescription glasses, you’ll need to have your eyes examined at a location and then submit your lens power on the Focally website. The company will then customize the product for you. If you want to use lenses of some other company, this is also possible. The company does not have any specifications on the lenses, you can get them replaced from any outlet.

The specs look great, but what about the technology?

As I mentioned earlier, Spectunes have Bluetooth and speakers on the side of the product. The speakers are on both sides. To turn on the device, you need to long press the power button on both arms – you can do this one by one or simultaneously, but you will need to press the power buttons on both arms separately. I used it with iOS and Android devices, and Bluetooth pairing worked smoothly with both.

The speakers on the arms of the Spectunes are mounted in such a way that they sit right above the ears, ensuring good sound. There are also swipe and tap gestures on both arms that let you change songs, increase or decrease the volume, talk to the virtual assistant, pick up or hang up a call, and more. Gestures are very sensitive. I love that there are no visible buttons on the device and except for the power button on the inside, all other gestures on it work via touch.

I also liked that the Focali Spectunes uses magnetic charging, which is very easy to connect. You just need to align the magnetic charging points on the stem with the charger and you’re done. The device charges from 0 to 100 percent in 70 minutes. We don’t know the exact battery size on the device, but I used the Focally Spectrum for 3 hours continuously and the battery only dropped by 20 percent. In these 3 hours, I listened to music and answered several calls. The company says it can deliver up to 8 hours of playback time and I found the claim to be true. I could easily use the Focally Spectrum for two days before needing to charge it again.

Focali Spectunes: What I didn’t like

While I think, Focally Spectrum lives up to all the claims, it still lacks a few things. First of all, there is a very common design flaw. Its charging indicator only tells you that the device is charging, but neither does it tell you when the device is fully charged, nor does it tell you the battery level. The only way to know the battery level is to check your connected device, be it your phone or laptop.

Another drawback is that it does not feature bone-conduction technology. Essentially, these glasses aim to replace both earphones and glasses. But, the lack of this feature means, if you’re at work and using the Focally Spectrum to listen to music, you’ll have to be conscious of sound leakage. If you’re listening to something at high volume or even taking a call at high volume, know that everyone around you may be hearing it too. Although it’s good that you have constant spatial awareness, it compromises the sound quality.

Focally Spectrum Smart Glasses: Are They Worth It?

At a starting price of Rs 5,499, I think the Focali Spectacles are good. Smart glasses are meant to replace your regular-daily glasses and earbuds with one device. I wouldn’t say Spectrum is a game changer. However, at its price point, it manages to offer a lot of basic features, all of which are implemented quite well. If you are particularly concerned about sound quality then this device may not be for you. However, if you’re looking for a way to cut down on the number of devices you carry with you, the Focali Spectrum will replace at least one of them. Spectunes can also be a good option for those who don’t like to use in-ear earbuds.